The present invention generally relates to an improvement in the selection and presentation of medical imaging studies. Specifically, the present invention relates to an improved method and system for rule-based comparison study matching to customize a hanging protocol.
Picture archiving and communication systems (“PACS”) connect to medical diagnostic imaging devices and employ an acquisition gateway (between the acquisition device and the PACS), storage and archiving units, display workstations, databases, and sophisticated data processors. These components are integrated together by a communication network and data management system. A PACS has, in general, the overall goals of streamlining health-care operations, facilitating distributed remote examination and diagnosis, and improving patient care.
A typical application of a PACS system is to provide one or more medical images for examination by a medical professional. For example, a PACS system can provide a series of x-ray images to a display workstation where the images are displayed for a radiologist to perform a diagnostic examination. Based on the presentation of these images, the radiologist can provide a diagnosis. For example, the radiologist can diagnose a tumor or lesion in x-ray images of a patient's lungs.
A series or sequence of a plurality of medical images is an imaging study. In general, an imaging study that is the most recent imaging study of a patient or is the imaging study currently being examined by a radiologist will be referred to as a current imaging study.
In order to properly diagnose a current imaging study, a radiologist must examine one or more previously acquired images of the same patient and compare these images to images of a current study. An imaging study that includes two or more previously acquired images is a historical imaging study. Furthermore, a historical imaging study whose images are relevant for comparing with the images of a current imaging study is a comparison imaging study. For example, images that are associated with or display the same anatomy are relevant for comparison purposes.
The images of an imaging study are displayed in a particular spatial layout and/or temporal sequence. In other words, the images may be displayed in certain positions on a display device relative to each other (a spatial layout, for example). The images may also be displayed in a certain ordered sequence by displaying image A first, followed by image B, followed by image C, and so on (a temporal sequence, for example). The spatial and/or temporal presentation of images is directed by a set of display rules. A display rule may include a set of instructions stored on a computer-readable media that direct the presentation of images on a display workstation. A set of display rules is known as a hanging protocol. In general, a hanging protocol is a series of display rules that dictate the spatial and/or temporal layout and presentation of a plurality of images.
Current hanging protocols provide for the display of comparison imaging studies on a display workstation. For example, current complex hanging protocols allow a user or radiologist to specify how many comparison imaging studies to automatically populate onto a display at a display workstation and/or the layout of the images in the comparison imaging studies. However, the comparison imaging studies that are automatically displayed are the most recent comparison imaging studies. While this may assist some radiologists in their examinations of imaging studies, the most recent comparison studies are not always the most relevant imaging studies for a particular diagnosis.
For example, a radiologist may wish to compare images from a current study with a previous imaging study that was acquired using the same or similar imaging modality, imaging procedure, or radiologist, or that includes images of the same or similar anatomies. However, current hanging protocols do not provide for this flexibility. Instead, a radiologist must spend a considerable amount of time manually searching through the most recent comparison studies populated by a hanging protocol in order to find the most relevant and helpful comparison study(ies). A need therefore exists for a more flexible method of adjusting hanging protocols to automatically select the comparison study(ies) of greatest interest to a radiologist. Meeting such a need can result in several improvements in current PACS, such as increased efficiency, improved diagnosis times in emergency situations, increased productivity, and increased flexibility.
The efficiency of current PACS may be increased as a user or radiologist does not need to spend as much time searching for desired comparison studies. This is especially helpful in situations where a patient may have tens or hundreds of historical or comparison studies. In addition, the efficiency of a PACS is enhanced by the fact that the comparison studies may be automatically displayed to the user.
Similarly, as the efficiency of finding a desired comparison study may be increased, the amount of time required for a proper diagnosis can decrease. Such a decrease in diagnosis time can be critical in emergency-type scenarios where any extra time may jeopardize patient health or survival.
The productivity of a user may be improved upon as the user spends less time searching and setting up desired comparison studies. In addition, users can more easily ignore comparison studies that are not of interest to the user.
Finally, the flexibility of a PACS may be increased as a user may have the ability to configure one or more rules by which a hanging protocol selects one or more comparison studies. The user may also be able to configure these rules for each diagnosis.